Hitherto known are broadcast terminal apparatuses that receive broadcast signals transmitted from radio stations and television stations. Each broadcast terminal apparatus demodulates the broadcast signals, enabling the user to listen to a program such as music and to review the broadcast contents information that the broadcast station discloses on the Internet. Among the broadcast contents information are: the tile of the music broadcast in the program, the player of the music, the name or number of the compact disc (CD) in which the music is recorded.
The frequencies at which each broadcast station transmits signals are assigned to various receiving areas (in which the same program can be received on the same channel), one frequency to one receiving area. This is because signals transmitted at a specific frequency can be received in a limited area. In other words, the program broadcast at a frequency cannot be received in different areas. This is why any broadcast terminal apparatus designed to receive the broadcast signals has a tuner-preset function (hereinafter referred to as “preset function”). Having this function, the broadcast terminal apparatus can automatically set the receiving channel for the area in which it is located. A user of the broadcast terminal apparatus activates the preset function when he or she starts using the broadcast terminal apparatus or moves into a new receiving area. The receiving channel for the new area is thereby set.
Audio playback apparatuses are known, which are installed in moving bodies such as automobiles and which receive broadcast signals while moving from one receiving area to another. The audio playback apparatus identifies the receiving area on the basis of the position information it acquires from the global positioning system (GPS). Then, it automatically sets the receiving channel assigned to the receiving area. (Such an audio playback apparatus is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 8-5392, paragraphs [0006] to [0012], FIG. 1.)
The user of the broadcast terminal apparatus may select the channel that the preset function has set. He or she can then listen to the program being presented by the desired broadcast station. At this time, the broadcast terminal apparatus identifies the broadcast station from which it is receiving signals. The broadcast terminal apparatus acquires the information that represents the distributor of the information about the contents being broadcast by the broadcast station. This information has been specified by an information-processing apparatus that provides various data items via the Internet. Then, the broadcast terminal apparatus acquires the broadcast contents information via the Internet. A display provided on the broadcast terminal apparatus displays this information. The user can therefore review the information about the contents being received, while listening to the program.
With the conventional broadcast terminal apparatus, however, the information that the user can review is limited to the information about the contents being broadcast from the broadcast station selected.
Hitherto, the broadcast terminal apparatus acquires the information about the contents being broadcast, exclusively from the broadcast station that the user has selected. The broadcast station is identified by referring to a table of broadcast stations against the frequency at which the program is being received at the broadcast terminal apparatus. Since the broadcast station is thus automatically identified, the user need not select the broadcast station. However, the user must select any other broadcast station in order to review the information about the broadcast contents that the other station is broadcast.
The user needs to review the information about any broadcast stations other than the one from which the broadcast terminal apparatus is receiving signals, or the information about the broadcast station from which the broadcast terminal apparatus is not receiving signals. To enable him or her to do so, the display on the broadcast terminal apparatus displays a list of all broadcast stations covering all areas. This list is so large that it is troublesome for the user much to find the broadcast station he or she wants. The more broadcast stations the list shows, the longer the time the user spends to find and select the desired broadcast station.
With the conventional broadcast terminal apparatus, the user must take much trouble to select the broadcast station he or she wants. Thus, the user cannot review the information about the contents being broadcast from the broadcast stations other than the broadcast station that is transmitting the signals the broadcast terminal apparatus is receiving. Therefore, the broadcast terminal apparatus is not so useful.
The broadcast terminal apparatus may not contain the list of broadcast stations. Instead, the broadcast terminal apparatus may be connected via a network to an information-processing apparatus that provides various data items, to acquire a list of the broadcast stations all over the nation. Even in this case, the user still needs to spend much time to find and select the broadcast station he or she wants. To make the matter worse, a great amount of data should be transmitted between the information-processing apparatus and the broadcast terminal apparatus. This inevitably increases the load on both the information-processing apparatus and the broadcast terminal apparatus.